Strength helps. Check what else you practice.
You can do more squats than a month ago. That is useful progress in that exercise. Does it also mean your balance has improved? The rep total cannot tell you.
For adults 65 and older, the CDC recommends a weekly mix of aerobic, strengthening, and balance activities. Strengthening the legs, back, and abdomen can improve balance, so these are connected abilities. Still, a strength routine does not automatically show that you have covered balance practice. [1]
Balance deserves a place in the plan
WHO guidance for adults 65 and older includes varied activity combining different types of exercise, with an emphasis on functional balance and strength, at moderate or greater intensity on at least three days a week. This sits within the broader weekly activity recommendations. It does not mean adding three hard gym sessions to whatever you already do. [2]
The CDC lists tai chi among activities that can combine different types of physical activity. [1] When choosing a class or a home program, ask what balance skills it trains, how it adapts to your starting ability, and who can help you progress. A program name alone does not answer those questions.
What one home program actually tested
In the 2012 LiFE trial, 317 adults aged 70 or older with repeated falls or an injurious fall in the previous year were assigned to three groups. One group learned to integrate balance and strength activities into everyday routines, with professional instruction and follow-up. Over 12 months, its fall rate was 31% lower than the gentle-exercise control group’s. [3]
That was a relative reduction in the rate of falls, not a guarantee for each person. The confidence interval was wide and close to no effect at one end. The trial did not isolate strength from balance, and it did not test an app or an unsupervised collection of exercises. Copying one movement is not the same intervention.
A useful next step, without a balance challenge
Review your current plan and identify where it deliberately includes balance. If you cannot tell, bring the plan to a qualified instructor or physical therapist and ask. This is a planning suggestion, not a home test or a reason to make familiar exercises unstable.
If you have fallen, feel unsteady when standing or walking, or worry about falling, tell a health care professional. [4] Start there rather than trying a harder balance challenge alone. You can keep a record of strength progress while getting help with a different question: what would make everyday movement safer for you?